Abhiroop Das
Created by Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert, and Ronald D. Moore, Apple TV’s ‘Star City‘ dials back from the story of ‘For All Mankind,’ following the Soviet Union’s perspective early on in the space race. As the Russian commanders and cosmonauts aim for the first place when it comes to championing the moon, a special town named Star City is established for the purpose of training people for space missions, as well as for surveillance.
An enigmatic figure, known only as the Chief Designer, looms in the background as one of the most important assets of Russia, while the intelligence network picks off anyone even remotely suspicious. Episodes 1 and 2 of this science fiction drama series, titled ‘The Eyes’ and ‘A Bear on a Chain,’ respectively, set up the highest highs of the program, while also forewarning its lowest lows. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Star City Becomes the Home For a Young Irina, Right at the Start of the Space Race
‘Star City’ begins with a woman being woken up by the KGB at her doorstep. They tell her nothing, except that this is about her husband, Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, who hasn’t returned home in quite some time. Leonov’s wife suspects that he has been arrested under suspicion of treason, and that she and her daughters are about to meet a similarly terrible fate. This turns out to be far from the truth, however, as she is actually escorted directly to the mission control center, where Chief Designer reveals that Leonov has just become the first person to set foot on the moon. We are reminded that this is the origin of the ‘For All Mankind’ universe, where the USSR outpaced the US and the space race never quite ended.
As the mastermind behind the entire space mission, the Chief Designer receives the Hero of the Soviet Union medal, but only for optics. When he tries to convince his higher-up, Tarasov, about Soviet Mars and Venus projects, he is instead told to redirect his efforts towards the lunar base program. Elsewhere in Star City, we are introduced, or rather reintroduced, to Irina Morozova, who is a fresh recruit at the surveillance department and has been tasked with listening in on the private conversations of Valya Markelov, one of the many cosmonauts who call this town their home. While she knows that Valya has been selected for a second lunar mission, and also that his wife, Tanya, is having an affair with his best friend and fellow cosmonaut, Sasha, there are still many secrets that remain.
A Promising Cosmonaut Candidate is Labeled the Mole
One of Irina’s friends in the department is tasked with listening in on Yana Akhmatova, the prospective candidate to be the first woman to walk on the lunar surface. However, when it’s discovered that Yana’s brother might just be a dissident writer, all of those hopes come crashing down. During her KGB interrogation, Yana reveals yet another confusing detail: her brother died a long time ago, which means that she could not have contacted him from within Star City. However, those arguments mean little to the KGB, and they ultimately force a false confession out of her. Just like that, the lunar mission scheduled in three days is in need of a new woman cosmonaut, and KGB head Lyudmilla Raskova suggests Anastasia Belikova, a space program rookie who has so far been the weak link of the training squads.
The Chief Designer had put his all into training Yana, and though he knows that her confession is coerced, there’s nothing he can really do about it. Anastasia, on the other hand, feels like a fish out of water, and though we know in retrospect that her mission is a success, her teammate, Valya, certainly doesn’t feel as safe. Though training for the mission in too little time almost seems impossible, Anastasia surprisingly keeps up. Meanwhile, Irina slowly grows convinced that the report on Yana was premature, and conducts an amateur investigation of her own, one that ends with the discovery of the grave of Yana’s little brother. Her corrective report draws the attention of Lyudmilla, who wastes little time taking her straight to where Yana is being kept.
Though Lyudmilla admits to making a mistake by detaining Yana, all of that is a setup for something far crueler. Handing Irina the gun, Lyudmilla orders Yana to be shot dead, and ultimately pulls the trigger herself. Elsewhere, Anastasia gears up for leaving the space capsule and walking on the moon, but soon runs into a problem. A glitch in her spacesuit means that the CO2 is being trapped inside, and the only radical solution comes from a rookie engineer named Sergei Nikulov, who suggests puncturing the suit long enough for a retreat. The plan miraculously works, buying Anastasia enough time to get back on track. The moment she lands on the moon, however, Anastasia ditches the pre-written, state-approved speech in favor of commemorating Yana, earning the KGB’s wrath in the process.
Anastasia Makes History as the First Woman on the Moon
Unlike Anastasia’s monologue, the journey back to Earth is far less eventful, save for a last-minute landing hiccup, which pushes them off course by several miles. When the cosmonaut duo makes it out, they are almost immediately ambushed by a bear, but that is the least of their worries. Anastasia is isolated by the KGB and presented as a body double, which makes their intentions crystal clear. Lyudmilla, however, turns out to be more forgiving than expected, and lets Anastasia go on the condition that she gets married at the end of an upcoming French celebratory tour. What’s perhaps even more problematic is that she is being married to Sasha, whom she has not even talked to properly before.
In the lead-up to the French tour, Lyudmilla commands Irina to surveil Anastasia at all points, which means traveling alongside her. The Chief Designer, on the other hand, tries to rally the board for a Venus mission for the second time, only to be met by a rather confounding update. His exclusive lunar base designs have been leaked to America by the mysterious mole of Star City, which means that he only has a few months to come up with an entirely new and more efficient plan, from scratch.
Though accelerating the mission seems like a recipe for disaster, Sergei Nikulov once again comes to the rescue, suggesting an inflatable, tent-like base that can be put into place relatively easily. This is not what draws the Chief Designer’s attention, however, as he then decides to personally invite Sergei to his secret base, where he’s been chipping away at the Venus project for quite some time. Recognizing the risk as well as the opportunity, Sergei agrees to become the chief’s right-hand man, beginning a journey that would lead to his character arc in ‘From All Mankind.’
Irina and Anastasia Dig Deeper Into Their Respective Hells
In France, Anastasia feels like the odd one out yet again, and the social pressure soon begins taking its toll on her. Sensing this, Sasha helps her sneak out of the hotel one night to party, just as Irina is called in by Lyudmilla for a different task: translating German for a spy the KGB has captured. Though he doesn’t give away anything at first, a thorough interrogation with Lyudmilla, communicated through Irina, almost gets him to break. Elsewhere, Anastasia and Sasha party at a nightclub, where she gets approached by what appears to be an American agent who gives her an escape ticket.
Luckily enough, Anastasia rejects the offer, as in reality, this is just a pretend agent hired by Lyudmilla for a loyalty test. While she remains occupied, Irina tries to personally reason with the spy, ultimately resorting to torturing him to learn that there’s a mole transferring intel and goods in Star City. With this intel, the entire town is put into a lockdown, and Lyudmilla soon realizes that this act must stop now, before it consumes the entire Soviet space project from within. The next morning, Anastasia ties the knot with Sasha, belying her true feelings and letting the cycle continue, much like Irina, and much like everyone else.
Read More: Where Was Apple TV’s Star City Filmed?
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